ALEXANDER THE GREAT

81

ALEXANDRA

his own use the rich royal treasure of silver
and gold which the Persian kings had been
accumulating through the centuries.

Alexander was now regarded by himself
and by the Persians as the successor of Da-
rius, who had been slain in the battle at Ar-
bela. The victorious army was next led
northward for the subjugation of various
tribes about the Caspian Sea, and thence
across the Hindu Kush into Bactria and
Sogdiana. In 327 Alexander led his army

blemish. His uncontrolled passion led him
to commit deeds, such as the murder of his
dearest friend, Clitus, which he bitterly re-
pented. It is said that he never asked his
soldiers to do what he would not do himself.
He was a man of fine tastes and a liberal
patron of art, philosophy and literature.
The effects of his conquests were the ending
of the struggle between Greece and Persia
and the spreading of Hellenic civilization
over Egypt and western Asia. The story of

ALEXANDER'S EMPIRE, AT ITS GREATEST EXTENT

to India, where all the native princes sub-
mitted except Porus, a powerful king north
of the Indus, who was defeated. Alexander
rediscovered the sea-route from the Indus to
the Euphrates via the Indian Ocean, an
achievement of great importance for the
commerce of India. He made Babylon the
capital of his vast empire. By means of
colonies and intermarriage the peoples of
Europe and Asia were to be fused into a
single great nation, having common laws,
language and ruler. He himself married a
daughter of ELing Darius, and thousands of
his soldiers took Asiatic wives. In the midst
of his vast projects Alexander was seized by
a fever and died at Babylon. Of the generals
among whom his vast domain was divided,
the most famous was Ptolemy, who founded
in Egypt the line of rulers of that name.

Alexander's title to greatness lies in his
military achievements and his far-reaching
vision of a greater civilization. His insatiate
vanity and unchecked excesses are a serious

Alexander's life and conquests is told in
many ancient annals and in the romances
and legends of many nations.
ALEXANDRA (1844-1925), queen-
mother of England, and daughter of Chris-
tian IX of Denmark, was born at Copen-
hagen. On March 10,1863, she was married
to Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who
later reigned as King Edward VII. Her
first public act was the opening of the Cam-
bridge School of Art, in 1865, and she was
present at the opening of Parliament in
1866. After the death of the Prince Consort,
in 1861, Queen Victoria practically with-
drew from society, and this made the Prin-
cess of Wales the first lady of the country
in social matters, a position which she sus-
tained with dignity. At the coronation of
Edward VII, August 9,1902, Alexandra was
crowned queen, relinquishing the title to
Mary, wife of George V, upon the accession
of the latter to the throne in 1910, She was
an accomplished musician.